Artist File 2015: Next Doors

Artist File 2015: Next Doors is an exhibition to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. Co-organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) and the National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT), the exhibition presents contemporary artists from both countries. Through the works presented, the exhibition surveys the artistic practice of the participating artists and examines the lives of people in the two countries. The exhibition was initially presented in Japan (July 29 - October 12, 2015, NACT) with much appreciation by the Japanese contemporary art scene and the local audience. Continuing the successful presentation of the exhibition, the MMCA presents its second rendition in Korea.

For the current exhibition, a team of curators from both museums has researched and investigated artists from the two countries, visiting Europe and the USA as well as Korea and Japan. A series of discussions were continued to select twelve artists and two hundred and thirty-four works that can best represent the contemporary art of both countries. Ranging from artists in their twenties to those in their forties, the participating artists to the current exhibition employ various media that encompass painting, sculpture, photography, and video. For the current exhibition, the artists produced new works. While they share the identity of being artists that live in the contemporary period, they also work under two very different sociocultural environments of both countries. In Artist File 2015 Next Doors, such similarity and difference will provide the visitors to the exhibition with interesting perspectives, presenting diverse modes of expression with regards to their understanding of social issues, aesthetic interests, and artistic approaches.